


So Much Better

by lostin_space



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, Legally Blonde AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-05
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-06-11 16:46:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19543540
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lostin_space/pseuds/lostin_space
Summary: The Maribel Legally Blonde AU that no one really asked for





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to the musical for both inspiration and a lot of lines

“Oh my god, why are you still in bed?! This is an emergency! Get up!”

“I’m sorry, what?”

Isobel stood in the doorway of her brother’s dorm room. They’d gotten lucky enough to share with each other. Max was on his bed, surrounded by books and highlighters and none of it was actually for any of his classes. Then there was Michael who had his lay of the week, Alex Manes, laying between his legs with a movie playing on his laptop. She had to give him credit. His first college guy was the one who spent half his time in ROTC garb, the other half in all black and piercings, and made sure all of it was drenched in an attitude from hell. It was an achievement.

“I am 97.63% sure that Noah ‘love of my life’ Bracken is going to propose to me tomorrow night!” Isobel said, willing them to follow her lead. However, they were both literally disasters and were staring at her for more information. Even Alex was staring! _Boys_. “Oh my god!”

“It’d help if you explained more,” Max rationalized. She rolled her eyes so hard they almost fell out.

“I need you guys to help me find a dress to wear!”

“What’s wrong with the 30 other ones you just fucking bought?” Michael wondered, wrapping his arms around Alex’s chest. He let him, which happened to be the happiest Alex had ever looked. Isobel gave a second’s thought to hoping Michael warned him his affection was temporary before focusing on the bigger issue at hand.

“I can’t wear an old dress to my own proposal! What do I look like?!” Isobel demanded, gawking at her stupid brothers. Why didn’t they understand that this was important? More important than Max’s stupid little book and Michael’s stupid little pseudo-date that was only not featuring sex because Max was in the room. “Oh my god, get up, we’re going to the mall.”

“Why exactly are we the ones that have to go with you? Don’t you have, like, an entire fucking squad of girls?” Michael asked, nuzzling nose against Alex’s neck. She rolled her eyes.

“Uh, I got magically blessed with a straight brother and a gay brother to give me their opinions on my wardrobe from opposite sides of the spectrum, why would I not use that?” Isobel scoffed. Max’s highlighter fell to the book with a thud as he opened his mouth.

“Michael is bisexual, not gay.”

Isobel groaned, “Why do you have to ruin a perfectly good point?”

“Yeah, Max,” Alex decided to pitch in, smirking all slyly, “She has a _perfectly_ good point.” Michael screwed up his nose as he grinned, placing a kiss to his shoulder. Isobel approved of them slightly less.

“How do you even know that he’s going to propose?” Max asked, sounding a little more than helpless. Isobel huffed, placing her hands on her hips.

“A girl just _knows_ , Max. He’s had proposal eyes all week.”

“Yeah, Max, _proposal_ _eyes_ ,” Michael teased, giggling with Alex as he pulled him closer. Isobel narrowed her eyes at them.

“Whatever, I don’t really care what you think, you’re coming with me regardless.”

She silenced them before they could protest anymore.

“Get up, let’s go.”

In less than thirty minutes, she found herself beaming at the quaint, beautiful boutique of her dreams.

“Ah, _Fourchette_. It’s like heaven,” Isobel sighed as she walked inside, a trail of sluggish boys following her as if being dragged by an invisible leash. Honestly, they probably were.

“Feels like pastel hell,” Alex mentioned casually and Isobel heard Michael snicker before she gave them both a death glare.

“Stop insulting, just help me look. It needs to be perfect… elegant. He needs to see that I’m worthy of proposing to, but, like, it can’t come right out and say _bride_. I don’t want to be desperate, you know?” Isobel explained. She didn’t bother seeing which one of the stupid boys sighed. “Wife needs to be implied.”

Isobel soaked in the atmosphere of the boutique, smiling effortlessly as she closed her eyes. The biggest day of her entire life was tomorrow, this is what she was born for. What was a better achievement than becoming the trophy wife to a future general practice lawyer?

“This is pretty, I’m sure Noah would like this,” Max said. When she looked over to him, she couldn’t help but gasp.

“Maxwell Evans, _what_ part of perfect do you not understand? I can’t wear anything I bought on _sale_! He’ll _know_!” Isobel snapped. Cue more snickering from Alex and Michael who seemed way too content in huddling up together. Why couldn’t this have been two weeks ago whenever Michael was sleeping with a previous Prom Queen? She would’ve actually been of some assistance!

Max slumped his shoulders. “Sorry.”

Eventually, she got them to start taking this _seriously_ and she walking into the dressing room with a handful of dresses. She tried on a baby blue dress that went to the floor and framed her perfectly but seemed too much like high school prom. The next one was a skintight pink dress that could almost be mistaken for latex and, honestly, she looked more like she was going to a club. The next three were just as tonally wrong.

“I need… something better!” she groaned. Michael slipped into the dressing room and handed her a new one. This one was a shiny, silky dark green and genuinely gorgeous.

“Alex finally made a pick so we can get the hell out of here,” Michael said, a small little smile on his face. Isobel let the dress she was wearing fall to the floor and slipped the green one over her head. Michael went to zip it up.

“I can’t believe you brought Alex.”

“I can’t believe you care about something other than Noah’s reaction to your dress.”

“Hey!” Isobel said as she pulled her hair out of the way from the zipper, “I care about you and your life and when you bring a weekly lay to go shopping with your sister.” Michael’s eyebrows pulled together in the mirror as he fiddled with the clasp between her shoulder blades. “But, yeah, it’s kinda because I need to get my mind off of the proposal or I’m going to explode.”

Michael snorted, “Yeah, that sounds about right. Nah, but I didn’t want to send him away when we planned to hang out.”

“And how’s Max handling the whole boy thing?”

“You know he doesn’t care, same rules apply for when I had girls over. If it can’t be shown on the Disney Channel, it can’t happen if he’s in the room,” Michael said, grinning slowly, “So I like to kick him out because Alex is so good in‒”

“ _Oh my god.”_

“What?”

“This. This dress. This is it.”

Isobel felt nearly mesmerized by her own reflection. The dress was tight in all the right places, shaping her perfectly before just falling elegantly over her hips and stopping somewhere mid-thigh. The green made her eyes pop and it was so silky that it would surely make Noah want to reach out and touch. It was a perfect mix of elegant and sexy and amazing. This was the one.

“This is perfect. This… oh my god, Alex is my new personal dress shopper, this is amazing. This… I wouldn’t have even considered this! Oh my god! You’re dating a fashion genius!” Isobel announced, turning around to kiss his face.

“We’re not dating,” Michael laughed, scrunching up his face as he peeled her off.

“Alex!” she called as she ran out of the dressing room. Tomorrow night, Noah Bracken was going to become her husband-to-be and it was basically all thanks to Alex Manes. Who would’ve thought that would happen? “This dress is perfect and it’s just my size! See, Max, dreams _do_ come true!”

She hugged them both around the neck, squealing as she jumped. Or, she kept the jumping to a minimum because the dress was too fancy for full-on jumping, but she tried. Everything was going to plan, her life was going to be perfect. She was going to get married and have three kids and be perfect, perfect, _perfect_.

“Thank you!”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Isobel goes on a date and gets an idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took me actually forever, I am a mess

“You look beautiful.”

“I know.”

Max rolled his eyes in the mirror, but Isobel ignored him. This was it, this was her time. She looked good, she felt good, and she was ready to get that goddamn ring on her finger. Next year, she’d be the fiance of a man in law school and life would be so good. Life is already so good.

“Where is Michael? He needs to be here to send me off with you!” Isobel said, checking her phone. He hadn’t even opened her message.

“If I had to guess, they’re probably having sex. They’ve actually been inseparable, it’s gross and weird,” Max sighed.

“You’re just jealous because you don’t have someone. When you have someone like, like me and Noah, for example, none of that is gross anymore. It’s like when you have it too, there’s no reason to be jealous, you know?” Isobel explained with a smile, double-checking her look in the mirror before she left to go meet Noah, “Besides, we should be happy for Michael! This is his longest relationship ever! I mean, ten days is an achievement for him.”

“Okay, okay, whatever,” Max sighed, smiling at her as he moved in for a hug, “I hope everything goes good for you tonight, Izzy.”

“It will.”

-

“Noah!”

The man of her dreams stood up from the table with a smile, letting her pull him into a hug. He hugged her tight and it made her that much more excited to become his wife. She couldn’t wait to just _be_ a wife. That’s what she had always been told she could be so good at and she really believed it.

“Come, sit, let’s talk,” he urged. Isobel tried to hold back her excitement, sitting across from him and taking a sip of the glass of wine he already had waiting for her. He bought a whole bottle. How sweet is that? “Look, I think we both know what’s happening today.”

Tightness formed in her stomach as she grinned wildly. She absolutely did.

“You came in here tonight, looking like, well, _Isobel_ , and I thought for sure it would make me think… But honestly, it just made me so sure this is the right decision. So I need to be honest with you, take this a step forward,” he said. She smiled even brighter.

“I feel the same‒”

“I’m not done.”

“Oh, sorry, go on.”

Noah took a deep breath, seeming to gather his thoughts again. He reached across the table to grab her hand.

“My whole life I’ve known what I’ve wanted. Law school, become a senator, have a beautiful, smart wife on my arm. I’ve wanted a wife who was incredible and outstanding and intelligent to give me incredible and intelligent children. I’m gonna be the next JFK, and I need a Jackie,” he explained. Isobel sucked in a slow breath, nodding as she leaned closer. “Which is why I want to‒”

“Yes!”

“Break up.”

“Yes, yes, I‒”

Isobel paused once she finally registered the words she was hearing. Break up? _Break up_? The words didn’t really compute in her mind. She came here because he was going to propose. Why else would he have asked her choice of ring a few months back? Why else would they have discussed the kids they’d have and how lavish their wedding would be? It didn’t make any sense, absolutely none.

“Break up?” she asked, snatching her hand away. He smiled bleakly. “I thought you were going to propose!”

“My future’s all planned, I need someone‒”

“I am incredible! I am intelligent!” Isobel yelled, standing up and not even caring that the chair scraping across the floor. Noah looked around at all the people looking their way, but Isobel kept her eyes trained on him. “You can’t break up with me!”

“Isobel, please don’t make a sc‒”

“A _scene_? You don’t want me to make a scene?! Wow, okay, totally, I’ll listen to you! I can’t believe you’re dumping me!” she raged.

“It-it’s just easier to go to law school single. UT is important to me and I can’t have a… Marilyn and not a Jackie,” he said. Isobel felt her eyebrows pull together in confusion. What?

“You’re dumping me because I’m _blonde_?”

And he laughed.

“Screw you, Noah Bracken!”

-

Isobel wasted no time in trying to go to her own dorm. She was crying way too much to risk passing a hallway full of girls who knew her. So, instead, she went straight for Max and Michael. Maybe they could go beat up Noah or something.

She completely bypassed the sock on the doorknob and didn’t even bother reacting being greeted by a bare ass. Michael quickly pulled Alex down beside him and threw the blanket over him as if trying to conceal some type of modesty.

“Isobel, what‒you’re crying. What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” he asked. She sniffled and wiped her eyes as best she could as she waited for them to get dressed. He only bothered to slip his boxers on before pulling her into a hug. “What’s wrong?”

“Noah broke up with me!” she sobbed, clutching onto him tighter. His hand went to the back of her head, cradling her close. Thank God for brothers. “He-he said he didn’t want me because I was blonde and stupid.”

” _What_?”

“Hey, you want me to go?” Alex whispered. Isobel just let a sob go through her before she reached out aimlessly, finding Alex and pulling him in to hug her too. “Or I’m doing this, okay.”

They both held her as she cried it out, softly shushing her as she rambled. She couldn’t understand what she did wrong. What he said couldn’t be right. By his standards, she’d been stupid and blonde their entire relationship. Besides, what was so wrong with being a Marilyn?

“Can I sleep here tonight?” Isobel sniffled, using Michael’s shirt to wipe her nose. He nodded.

“Of course.”

“Alex too. We’re friends now,” she added. Alex snorted as Michael gave her a bleak little look.

“Iz, that mattress is barely big enough for two people,” he tried.

“But I’m sad! I just got dumped!” she pouted, giving him the best set of puppy eyes she could manage. She watched the two boys have a mental conversation over her shoulder, still sniffling all the way. She had _planned_ to be staying with her fiance tonight, but she was going to have to settle for her brother and his boy-toy.

“Okay, okay, fine, Izzy, but if someone ends up on the floor, it’s your fault,” Michael sighed. She nodded, wiping her nose on him again.

“Thank you. Can you change your sheets though? I don’t wanna sleep on your sex sheets,” she said. Alex let out a soft laugh as he grumbled and complied. The moment he let go, she sunk into Alex. He really was becoming a good friend. He picked out her gorgeous dress and everything. _Oh my god_.

How could Noah not want to propose to this dress?!

“Do you wanna talk about it?” Alex asked, stroking her hair. She didn’t know what to say. On the one hand, she did. She wanted to know everyone else’s opinion on what they thought. On the other hand, she didn’t want to be constantly reminded of her failure.

“I have never, ever been dumped before, you know? Never! I-I made it almost 22 years! And it has to happen _now_?! I mean, I’m not getting any younger! How am I supposed to find another guy, date him for two years before our engagement, be engaged for a year, then get married and wait two years before having our first child, and then still have time to have all three kids and not be old and gross?!” she scoffed. Alex exhaled really slowly for some reason, but she accepted it when he held her a little tighter.

“I was dumped once,” Alex said.

“Once?” Michael echoed, disbelief in his voice.

“Yeah, once. And it felt like the end of the world to me. Of course, I was 16 and we met at a Marine Academy summer camp and it only lasted four weeks, but I thought I was in love. He dumped me the night before we left and we were sitting by the fire and he said I was too feminine for him. I was so sad, but I couldn’t, like, cry because I was at a fucking military camp,” Alex rambled. Isobel sniffled as she pulled away.

“Does this story have a reason?”

Alex rolled his eyes and grabbed her shoulders. “I’m _saying_ , life goes on. People are dicks about things like your appearance and the way they perceive you, but you shouldn’t take it to heart. You’re not like that.”

Isobel nodded slowly. Alex was right. She _wasn’t_ like that. She just had to show Noah that she was exactly what he thought she wasn’t. Then she wouldn’t have to restart all over, she could just pick up where they left off.

“You’re so right,” Isobel said, watching as he smiled just enough for her to be one of the two people that could get a genuine smile out of him, “I just have to show Noah that I’m smart, then he’ll take me back. Oh, I know! I’m gonna get into UT and follow him to law school! Then he’ll _have_ to see that I’m smart!” Alex’s smile fell and he shared a quick glance with Michael.

“Well, no, that’s not‒”

“I mean, you have to be smart to get into law school, right? Well, I _am_ smart! I have a 4.0 GPA! I bet know didn’t know that,” she said. She was feeling a whole lot better now that she was getting a whole plan in action. Man, Michael had really chosen well. “Yeah, so, I’ll just apply to UT.”

“Iz, you know you have to take the LSAT, right? And, like, I’m sure UT won’t let you in unless you have over a 170-something on it,” Michael said slowly. She rolled her eyes, waving him off.

“What, like it’s hard?”

“Yeah, it is, I took it and I got a 130,” Alex admitted. She paused, staring at him for a moment before turning to Micahel.

“I have a literal genius for a brother, you can just help me study for it,” she decided, smiling confidently. Michael made a face, clearly debating. “C’mon, Michael! I need this! I need him to see that I’m smart!”

“Do you really wanna go through all that trouble just for some guy?” he asked.

“He’s not some guy! He’s Noah Bracken, the love of my life!” she pointed out. Michael reluctantly started to nod.

“Okay, fine. No promises, I don’t really know anything about law, but… I’ll see what I can do, I guess,” he sighed.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Alex asked. When she turned around to face him again, he was looking at them like they’d lost it. Isobel put on her pout.

“Oh, Alex, I need you to support me. You’re, like, my fashion guru and I need you to help me through this by, like, helping me chose the best things to wear to keep me amped up for this process,” she explained, grabbing his shoulders as he had just done with her. He still looked on the fence with the subject, but when he looked over at Michael, he folded.

“Fine, fine, whatever, but if this backfires, I’m not taking the blame.”

“Oh, thank you, thank you, _thank you_! You guys aren’t going to regret this!” she gushed, pulling them into a much happier hug than before.

That night, she fell asleep happily smashed between two of her biggest supporters and couldn’t wait to show Noah all that he had missed.

**Author's Note:**

> also on my tumblr: spaceskam


End file.
